Archive for November, 2009
Super Epic Rainbow Cake
Ok, I need to learn how to make this cake before the end of the year so that I can make it for my birthday party in January. I can’t think of a more perfect cake (and cake name) for me. I love how she explains the metaphor behind the cake:
« But the most important aspect of this cake, the thing that makes it so her is the fact that it’s frosted in white buttercream. Why? Because the smooth white exterior makes the cake look completely normal, but once you slice into it you realize… OH SNAP! THIS CAKE IS CRAZY! »
Kaitlin, have we met before? Because it sounds like you know me personally. You just described me in a nutshell haha. Anyways, kudos to you!
Recipe here (the picture is from the blog too)
Online Sales Alert! 15% off Herman Miller products
From Nov. 27 to Dec. 13 (2009). Gabriel Ross certainly knows how to please me hehe. Hurry up! Here
I’m totally lusting over:
- The cowhide plywood lounge chair – $2,195.00 CAD
(Photo: Gabriel Ross)
- The Eames lounge chair and ottoman (in white) – $4,289.00 CAD
(Photo: buroproject.be)
- The Eames rocking chair (in lime green or white) – $527.00 CAD
(Photo: igreenspot.com)
- The Eames Aluminium management chair (in white) – $1,297.00 CAD
(Photo: casasugar.com)
- And the Hang it All for good measure – $197.00 CAD
(Photo: Apartment Therapy)
Changes (again)
What do you do when you desperately need some change, but can’t book a ticket to Bora Bora because you’re broke and/or can’t cut your hair because you’re trying to grow it long? Well change the design of your blog, of course (yeah even if you changed it a few weeks ago ha)! And maybe drink a glass (or a bottle) of wine too…
The good news is: the blog is now better organized. I’ve created a special section for you guys who want to take a glimpse into my home. Plus I organized and redesigned the House archives to make your life easier.
The next tasks on the list are to add Before/After pictures to the Home section, upload some more pictures from my vacay in France, and finally show you my new studio. I know I seem to have an elastic notion of time these days, but I promise more pictures soon.
Until then, here’s something fascinating – How a sewing machine works:
***Edit: I’ve just noticed that this blog has no real beginning. The thing is, I had a French house blog before, but then I decided that I wanted to talk about other things than just my house and to write in English (mainly because as weird as it sounds, I find it easier to talk about myself in English). Anyways, I’ll transfer the posts from my French blog to this one as soon as I can so that you can see how it all began.***
Happy Friday & have a great weekend!
Office reno update
Remember my original moodboard for the office (inspired by my prized Yves Saint Laurent poster)? Well I had fun creating it, but something was bothering me and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. It took me a while to realize that kind of decor isn’t really “me”. It’s too feminine and overall blah, and I know I’d get bored with it very quickly. I’m usually drawn to more masculine interiors with a few feminine details (think Kelly Hoppen – my favorite interior designer).
Anyway, a few weeks ago, I bought a chartreuse Panton chair (still waiting for it), and I came up with something that reflects my style and personality better. I’m really excited because the office will be my own private oasis (I actually don’t like to call it “office”, I like “studio” better… or “atelier” in French). My goal is to create an inspiring space that stimulates my creativity. There won’t be much furniture because the room is pretty small, but I’d love a daybed to lounge on (I like the Lola daybed by EQ3). I’m still looking for a desk because the Ikea desk I’m currently using is a bit too big. The Panton chair is from Gabriel Ross, the pendant lamp is the Nelson saucer lamp, the pillow is from CB2 (not sure if they still carry it), the shelving unit is from Elfa, and the fabric for the curtains is from Tonic Living (it’s called “Night and Day, Sparkle” – how could I resist?). Instead of an area rug, I want to use FLOR carpet tiles, which will be less expensive (I like the “Straight and Narrow” tiles in grey, but I need to order a sample because I want to make sure it’s soft under the feet). The total cost is about $2,000 (the daybed alone costs $1,000+), but I’m pretty sure I’ll find a way to pay less. After all, bargain hunting is half the fun of decorating! (to me anyway… what can I say… I’m cheap :P)
Hot mess
We’re having a gorgeous weather over here in Montreal, so we thought it was the perfect time to demolish our patio from hell (there’s a reason why I haven’t shown any photo of our garden yet). It looks fine on the picture, but I can’t even begin to describe how much I hated it. It was an awful DiY patio made with a mixture of rocks and cement, plus it was crooked and full of deep cracks… not the kind of oasis I’m looking for.
We called in the demo crew, and it took them less than a day to solve my problem. Yay! They even got rid of a few eyesores that visually polluted our garden, including a flag pole, a giant TV antenna and a rusty shed. (btw, I would like to thank Dominic Morin, founder of zoomission.com, who left a comment on my blog a few weeks ago to tell me about his website. We found our contractor – perfectly bilingual, efficient, professional and all – via his website … so far so good.)
The garden is a total wreck, but somehow it looks better than before. The plan is to do some research about deck design options this Winter (I’m looking for something modern with clean lines), and have a new deck built next Spring. And since the lawn is ruined now (not that it looked great before but at least it didn’t look like a bomb had hit it) and the garden needs some sprucing up, I have the feeling that we’ll spend a lot of time getting our hands dirty in the garden, doing yardwork, next year.
